


I Will Follow You Into the Dark

by clueing_for_looks (clueing_for_looks221b), clueing_for_looks221b



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Ben Solo Lives, Canon Rewrite, Dark Rey (Star Wars), F/M, Fix-It, Force Bond (Star Wars), Force Ghost Leia Organa, Force-Sensitive Finn (Star Wars), I'm Still Figuring Out Tags, M/M, Multi, Redeemed Ben Solo, Rose Tico is the Best, minor stormpilot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-15
Updated: 2020-06-03
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:40:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,957
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23657758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clueing_for_looks221b/pseuds/clueing_for_looks, https://archiveofourown.org/users/clueing_for_looks221b/pseuds/clueing_for_looks221b
Summary: From the Curious Cat prompt: TROS AU: after Ben tosses his crossguard lightsaber, he tries to get to Rey, but it's too late. She killed Palpatine and became 'dark Rey'. With no other option, he runs to the Resistance for help.
Relationships: Kylo Ren/Rey, Poe Dameron/Finn/Rose Tico, Rey & Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 15
Kudos: 79





	1. 1

**Author's Note:**

> After reading fic for (checks notes) twenty-two years, I have finally Written A Thing. Unbeta'd so all mistakes are mine. (Anyone want to beta a first-timer? I don't really know what's involved so I don't know what I'm asking for. Sorry!) 
> 
> title is from a Death Cab for Cutie song.
> 
> This fic is dedicated to the fabulous Jeeno, AttackOfTheDarkCurses, Violet Wilson, and fettuccine alfreylo for pushing me over the edge, er, encouraging me to write this, and to Susan, my Star Wars soul-sister, without whom I'd probably be muttering about Star Wars to myself.

“Strike me down. Take the throne as Empress. Reign over the Empire and the fleet will be yours to do as you wish. Only you have the power to save them all. Refuse and your new family dies.” The Emperor called to Rey. Rey drew a deep breath. She thought of Han, who gave her more fatherly love than anyone else ever had-- _pathetic_. She thought of Leia, whose last act of love was in vain— _weak_. She thought of Finn, who had turned his back on evil, only to almost certainly lose in the end anyway— _traitor_. She would not—she could not think of Ben.  
She could feel the Emperor’s sick thoughts infecting her brain already, along with a swirling thrill of the Dark Side that cocooned her like the warmest, most familiar blanket. Rey had never had a childhood blanket, or much that was comfortable at all. She was so, so weary. All her life she had been fighting, and for what? For this? Had she been traveling inexorably towards this fate all along? _Yes,_ sneered Palpatine. _This is the legacy your parents left you, this is your family inheritance. Not creature comforts but unstoppable power. Stop fighting it, little scavenger. It is time. It is your destiny._  
Rey spared one last look at the fleet above her head, nearly magnificent in their terrible power. She closed her eyes. She lifted her saber, and she struck true.

***  
Ben Solo had been afraid all the time. Afraid of disappointing his parents, afraid of being the cause of the frequent fights they had, afraid of not living up to his family legacy, afraid of the seductive call of the darkness that was his earliest memory. Kylo Ren, on the other hand, had never felt fear. He had room for one emotion—rage—that was massive enough to edge out all others. One of the only nice things about shedding his name, his family, and his life had been also shedding fear. Still, it was almost a relief, a confirmation that he was indeed returning to his former and true self, when he felt the icy tendrils creep back into his veins. The bond was twanging like a too-tightly-strung hallikset. Something big was about to happen—something bad. Rey was in trouble.  
Ben’s ancient scout-class TIE fighter, scavenged from the bowels of the ruins of the second Death Star ( _see Rey, I can scavenge too!_ He thought, a little deliriously) was racing at top speed towards Exegol. The flying was difficult: not only was the ship well past its prime, but the navigation was through unfamiliar space. Ben was flying dangerously, pushing the ship past its limits to get himself to her, never mind how he was going to get off of that cursed planet once Rey was safe. In spite of himself, he grinned, remembering all the scrapes he’d gotten into with his father as a kid and feeling closer Han than he had in years. _Flirting with death on a ship is a little bit fun, isn’t it? You were right. You were right about so many things._

  
He wished his dad was with him right then. Not so Ben could say he was sorry, because he already had done that (although he would never not be sorry, not if he lived a thousand lifetimes) but to ask him about girls. Well, one girl. As Kylo Ren, his mind had been consumed with Rey—find her, turn her, use her. She had been his obsession, the last remaining obstacle on his path to his ultimate goal. Now that he had banished the dark side from his heart, his feelings for Rey were decidedly different. He hadn’t been lying when he taunted her on Kef Bir—he did know her. Their bond had shown him the innermost secrets of her brain and heart. He knew what she yearned for, what she feared most, and what nightmares kept her tossing and turning at night. A few times they had been connected during their dreams, and he had walked her nightmares beside her. He has fought with her, fought beside her, almost killed her and almost been killed by her. But knowing her and knowing what to _do_ with her were two different things. His father had bedded scores of women in his youth (and possibly some men too, judging by some of Uncle Lando’s more opaque comments…Ben had always wondered how close his father and his "uncle" were) and Han would be able to give Ben the advice he needed to be confident with Rey.

  
At Luke’s academy, Ben had been instructed to scorn all romantic attachments. He’d been interested in a few of his fellow padawans over the years, but mostly out of intellectual curiosity. Did they feel as out of place in their changing bodies as he did? Did the panicky feeling he felt when he brushed up against them accidentally while sparring affect them as well? He had been too scared to ask any of them, and he’d rather die than ask Uncle Luke, who would have used the question as another excuse to be disappointed in him.

As a Sith, he’d been taught that women were either tools to get what you wanted or traps to keep you from getting what you wanted. He’d seen other Imperials ordering girls for a night of pleasure (Hux in particular had a fondness for tall, frosty blondes that bore more than a passing resemblance to the late Captain Phasma) but had never been tempted himself. He didn’t want to see a woman shrink away from his ridiculous ears, too-prominent nose, and ungainly limbs. He knew he wasn’t handsome or charming, not like his mother’s favorite Poe Dameron. He had little to entice a woman, and even in the depths of his Sith darkness he had been repulsed by the idea of paying or forcing someone to pretend she found him alluring. So he had spent his entire life untouched by a woman, save his mother before she sent him away. It had never bothered him until now.

  
Now, folded like a pretzel into a ridiculously tiny TIE cabin, juddering along at top speed towards certain peril, he is _bothered_. He is concerned about her safety, of course, but Rey is stronger than he is and doesn’t need him to come dashing to her rescue, she never has. No, what he is worried about most is what he’ll say to her once he’s standing in front of her. Will he have to tell her he’s left the dark side behind, or will she be able to tell just by looking at him? Could the bond have told her? Can she feel these… _feelings_ he has through the bond too? Does she know already that what he wants most in the entire cosmos is to wrap her in his arms and feel her head tucked safely against his beating heart? He has already offered to lay the galaxy at her feet once and been refused. What more could he give her? He doesn’t think he will survive it if she turns him away again. _She told you she wanted to take Ben’s hand. That might still be true._ In the tiniest corner of his heart, there is a flickering flame of white-hot hope. Hope that this time, she will take his hand, and with it his heart, which has been hers since he first saw her on Takodana even though he didn’t understand it then. Hope that somehow, impossibly, this girl who saw the man behind the monster might love him back. Hope that when they touch, somehow his body will know what to do even though his mind has no clue how to bring her pleasure. Hope that they could someday build a life together doing simple, ordinary things when the weight of the galaxy no longer rests on their shoulders.

  
A searing pain whites out his vision and for a moment, he thinks the TIE has been hit. But nobody knows where he is, or what he intends to do,so how did they find him? In a moment of clarity no less painful than the original flash, he understands. Rey. Their bond, usually a comforting hum in the back of his mind like a white noise machine, is now screaming. He’s heard Uncle Luke describe the loss of Alderaan, and he himself felt the destruction of Hosnian Prime, but this is somehow worse. He yanks the yoke of the TIE to slow the ship to a stop, unable to fly in such a state. He is a prisoner to the bond, forced to watch through her eyes as the scene unfolds.

  
Palpatine is dead. He watches the old man’s face twist into a horrible rictus in death, this horror somehow granted serenity as he becomes one with the dark side. Ben was angry that he did not suffer, angry that he did not cower in fear before he was struck down. But he can only dwell on that for a moment as he feels the Emperor’s power curl around Rey’s soul and spread like a terrible virus through her body. The dark side infects every cell of her, filling her with poison but also so, so much strength. Ben knows that strength well—it fueled his life for years. Brushing up against his old drug gives him, for a brief moment, a contact high and he panics as he feels the tide of darkness threatening to pull him under again. It is this panic that alerts Rey to his presence. She is snapped from her mind and yanked into the throne room, force-projected to her.

  
“Kylo Ren.” Her voice is deeper, more sensuous than usual and his traitorous body responds to it even as he is repelled by her transformation.

  
“No. Ben, sweetheart, just Ben. I’ve come back to the light. Like you always wanted.” He fights to keep the tremor from his voice. Weakness will only enrage her.

  
“Then you’re a fool. You should have told me…you never told me it could be like this.” She grins, her pointed teeth glinting in the cold white light.

  
“It only feels good for a moment, Rey. Then it eats you alive. It’s starting already.” She laughs, but it’s not her normal, sunny laugh. It’s more like a cackle, harsh and grating.

  
“You would say anything to keep me weak. Keep me behind you, instead of leading you. But you’re too late. Now I will do what you were too weak to do. I will win this war, and the galaxy will finally be at peace.” She is stunning like this, completely in control. Kylo Ren would have knelt before her without hesitation and followed her every command. But Ben knows all too well the toll that control takes. He will not lose her to this. Not when he’s just figured out how he feels about her. His mind races for something, anything to say to keep her talking to him, to keep her from using her power on the fleet above her head.

  
“You’re right. You are stronger than me.” This, at least, is not a lie. “Let me come to you, and I will serve you as you rule.” She peers at him, trying to discern weakness or duplicity in him. Even so, he knows that she will not see his lie. He knows the dark side makes you believe that you are stronger than everyone else and worthy of worship. It makes overconfident, sometimes fatally, as you easily accept what you want to hear and don’t question what you’re being told. Ben had killed Snoke that way, and he would save Rey in the same way. Sure enough, she does not question him.

“Come to Exegol. Perhaps there is a place for you in the Final Order. We shall see.” With that, she abruptly severs the connection, jolting Ben back into the tiny cockpit of the TIE. There’s still goodness in her, he realizes. Despite the overwhelming darkness coursing through her, she still thought of peace. _I know I can save her. But I can’t do it alone._

  
Ben closes his eyes. He draws a deep breath. He tries to calm his raging heart and focus on the Light. No one is ever really gone, his Uncle Luke had said, and Ben hopes to the Maker that’s true.

“Mom, can you hear me? If you can hear me, I need you. I’m so sorry, for everything. Rey’s in trouble. I have to save her, but I can’t do it without you. Please. Be with me. Please, Mom. Please.” Tears run down Ben’s cheeks as he listens to the silence of space. She had deserted him, and he deserved it. His whole life, he had caused her nothing but pain, and now here he was asking for—

  
A puff of Alderaanian starflower wafted over him, and his whole body felt like it had been dipped in sunlight. He was afraid to open his eyes, afraid he wanted her so badly he’d imagined her.

“Mom?” He whispered, eyes screwed shut.

“My little Ben.”


	2. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben and his mama have a long-overdue chat. And the Fabulous Resistance Trio (aka Poe, Finn, and Rose) get a mysterious message...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and we're back ! Thank you all so much who left kudos (and especially) comments.

_To: Allegiant General Pryde, the Steadfast_

_From: Empress Rey Palpatine_

_My grandfather is dead. I hold his power inside me. Obviously, I am now in charge. You and your ships will await my command. Do not make any moves against the Resistance until I say so. Be at the ready. Our victory is coming. This endless war is nearly over. Dissent will not be tolerated._

_**_

“My sweet Benny. I’m so glad that you called.” Ben sat in the cramped TIE, everything else forgotten as he stared into the face of his mother’s ghost.

“I didn’t take the shot. At the _Raddus_. I was there, and I almost did, but…I couldn’t. I didn’t want to be the one to kill you.” Ben blurted out. His mother chuckled.

“So patricide was enough for you?” Ben gasped.

“Mother!” She smiled, her wicked, secret smile reserved only for her closest confidantes. As a teen, Ben had sometimes wondered what a well-bred politician had seen in a two-credit smuggler, but when he saw that smile, he knew his parents were more alike than their resumes made it seem.

“Oh, Ben, just a joke! Besides, I know you spoke with your father and things are alright between you.” Ben was obscenely glad to hear it, relieved that his talk with Han on Kef Bir had not been solely a hallucination. Or even if it had been, his mother was kind enough to spare him that. As if she sensed the direction of his thoughts, she continued.

“I don’t think he ever forgave me for sending you to Luke. It was the biggest fight we ever had. And we had some real knockdown drag-outs, as you know. Later, when you…turned, he blamed himself for not fighting hard enough to keep you with us.”

“Dad was scared of me,” Ben confessed, finally voicing one of his deepest fears.

“Scared for you, not of you,” Leia corrected. “We both were. I think all parents are afraid for their children. Giving birth was the hardest thing I ever had to do, and at the end of it, when all I wanted was to sleep for a year, I’m handed this tiny, defenseless creature and told that I am solely responsible for keeping it alive. It’s absolutely terrifying! And then every day after that, I stared at you, made out of me but also completely different, and I thought, have I done enough? Can I keep him safe without holding him back? Am I the best person to help him become the man he’s meant to be? And when I saw the darkness in you, and I knew it was my fault, because of my own family…” Leia paused, lost in thought.

“I know that I failed you, so many times. If I could do it all over again, I would make different choices. But I promise you, son, I did the best I could. And I never, ever stopped loving you.” Ben sobbed, wishing with all his might that he could wrap his arms around his mother.

“I’m sorry too, Mom. For everything. I’m so, so sorry.” For a while, neither of them spoke. Ben was enveloped in the scent of his mother’s perfume, which was as close to an embrace as he was going to get, and more than he deserved.

“I have made so many mistakes.” He finally said. She smiled fondly at him.

“Who hasn’t? And now you have a lifetime to learn from them. Now, tell me what you know about Rey. We’ve all been talking about it, but you are closer to her than anyone. There are limits to what we can do, here in the Force.” Ben sobered immediately.

“She killed Palpatine, as he wanted her to. I think she did it to save her friends, but the power she inherited from him is too strong for her. She’s turned. I tried to talk to her, but she was in no state to listen. She says she’s going to rule the galaxy.” Leia considered this.

“That’s about what I feared. That old bastard. He’s been messing with my family for far too long. I wish I had been the one who killed him.”

“I don’t know what to do. I have to save her. Mom, I…” he stumbled, tongue-tied.

“You love her. I know. It makes me so happy. I couldn’t have picked a better match for my sweet Benny. She’ll kick your ass when you deserve it, and defend you with all the ferocity of a feral loth-wolf. I only wish I could be there to hold my grandbabies…” Ben choked. His mind short-circuited at the implications of his mother’s comments.

“Mom, now’s not the, I mean, I don’t even know if she, anyway I’m pretty sure that…you know what? We can talk about that part later. But I have to bring her back to the Light. What do I do? It took you to finally turn me, and she has nobody.” His mother snorted and rolled her eyes.

“You are such a Skywalker! ‘She has nobody,’ my son says. She has _friends_ , Ben, the family she chose! Blood isn’t everything.” Kylo Ren would have laughed in her face at that statement—his bloodline was his destiny. But Ben knew it was true: his mother had rejected the Dark Side and now so had he. He was, for the first time, not crushed under the weight of his own name…he was finally free.

Friends. Ben knew his mother was right. He thought of the tr--of Finn, the former stormtrooper who would have laid down his life to save her on Starkiller. He thought of Rose, the smart girl from the Hosnian system who lost her sister, yet nevertheless had a relentless streak of kindness. He even thought of Dameron, his cocky and charismatic childhood friend who was the son to Leia that Ben should have been. Ben had seen all of them in Rey’s thoughts and he knew they meant more to her than he ever would.

“They’ll blow me out of the sky if I go anywhere near them.” Ben argued.

“So send a message first. Explain yourself. They’ll listen. Well, some of them will. But I know those kids. They’re smart, and they love Rey more than anything. If you tell them you need them to save her, they will come.” His mother replied. Ben sighed. He didn’t relish the idea of leaving his fate in the hands of Dameron and his crew, but he didn’t have another option.

“I don’t even know where they are.” He protested weakly. His mother smirked.

“Good thing you’re talking to someone who does! The Resistance is on Ajan Kloss, which is, incidentally, between here and Exegol. It’s practically on your way.” It was true. It would add almost no time to his journey and if he was lucky, it would make all the difference.

“Fine. You’re right. I’ll send a message now. What do I say?” His mother smiled, warm and so brimming with love that it took his breath away. How long had it been since she looked at him like that? Or had she been doing it all along, only he’d stopped looking back at _her_?

“Tell them the truth. Speak from your heart. Keep it simple, end with the ask. A personal story plus a request usually works. Old politician’s trick.” Ben blinked back tears.

“Thank you, Mom. I love you.” She winked at him.

“I know. Now go get our girl.”

**

Despite growing up under the shade of a giant Force tree, Poe Dameron was not a lick Force-sensitive. No, his superhuman reflexes and flying ability were all hard work and natural talent, _thankyouverymuch._ Still, as he sat in the makeshift command center on the Resistance base at Ajan Kloss, he knew in his bones that something was terribly wrong.

His troops were readying for the attack on Exegol. They had been briefed, and soon he would give what he hoped was an inspirational speech, and they’d zip off towards the Sith planet, where many—if not all of them—would certainly die. Usually the feeling of knowing that so many men and women were depending on him to lead was a buoy to his spirits, but today it felt like a quadanium weight.

He had learned his lesson well after D’Qar. He knew that the flashy, hero-making maneuver was likely to kill more people than it saved, and that both the long and the short game had to be considered at every move. Being a general was like playing sabacc and dejarik at the same time and being expected to win both games. Poe was a much better sabacc player than a dejarik player, but he was getting better. He had used every moment of precious time from the Battle of Crait until Leia’s death a few days ago to pepper his mentor with questions and soak up her guidance. He would never truly atone for the lives he’d squandered at the Battle of D’Qar, but he would spend his career trying—and that was enough, Leia had promised him.

He hoped to the Maker that Leia was right about that. Besides, even if he wasn’t enough, he was all the Resistance had. Finn stormed across the base towards Poe, forcing the older man to paste a brave smile on his face and adopt what he hoped was a reassuringly commanding pose.

“Hey buddy!” Finn’s face looked as worried as Poe felt.

“Something’s wrong.” Poe always admired the former stormtrooper’s ability to cut right to the point, but at that moment he wished that Finn wouldn’t do it so loudly. Poe threw his arm around Finn’s shoulder (pointedly ignoring the frission of electricity in his belly that always accompanied contact with the other man) and led him to a grove of trees a little ways away from the main command center. Once they were away from prying eyes, Poe confided,

“Look, I’m nervous too…I’ve been feeling it all day. But we’re going to—”

“No, not us. It’s Rey.” Poe’s heart sank at the mention of her. He adored the Jedi girl, of course, but he was worried that Finn’s devotion to her was a little more than brotherly.

“How do you know?” Poe asked, keeping his voice light.

“I just know. I can feel it. In…” Finn glanced over his shoulder, visually sweeping the area to ensure nobody was within earshot.

“What is it?” Poe prodded.

“In the Force. I can…I think I’m…I know I’m Force-sensitive.” Finn confided. Poe’s head was spinning. Finn was Force-sensitive? Did that mean he would train as a Jedi? And weren’t Jedi supposed to be celibate? In his heart of hearts, Poe had dreamed of taking Finn back to Yavin when the war was over. He would introduce the man to his father, Kes, who would of course love Finn like everyone did. They could build a little cottage on his family's land, swim and fish when it was sunny and watch cheesy holos and drink Gatalentan tea spiked with brandy when it was rainy. Poe would make them breakfast in the mornings, and they would get to relax and just be people for once. And if their friendship grew into something more? Well, Poe wasn’t going to complain. But now his dreams seemed ever farther off than usual, now he knew Finn had the Force. Poe made himself smile and slap his friend on the back.

“That’s great, buddy! I mean, it is great, right? How are you feeling?” Finn shook his head.“I don’t know. There’s a lot I don’t know. But I do know that Rey is in trouble.” Poe chuckled.

“More trouble than we’re all usually in, you mean?” Finn rolled his eyes in exasperation.

“I’m serious! Something is really wrong. I can feel her in the Force, but today something is…off. She’s changed, somehow.”

“Do you think she’s hurt?” Poe asked. Finn shook his head again.

“No. That’s not it. She’s really vibrant, actually, but she’s…different. I can’t explain it. But we need to help her.” Poe was about to start explaining all of the reasons why they couldn’t call off the largest battle in Resistance history to go rescue one woman—even a beloved friend—when Rose’s voice rang out across the base.

“General Dameron? Lieutenant General Finn? There’s something you need to see.” It was a well-known fact in the Resistance that Lieutenant General Rose Tico never, ever panicked, but her voice was as close to panicking as Poe had ever heard it. The two men raced towards the command center. Rose arched an eyebrow at them, sprinting out of the jungle together looking guilty, but wisely chose not to mention it.

"We received an incoming transmission moments ago from an unknown source. It was highly encrypted with a pretty ancient Alliance code, but I was able to crack it. I started to watch it, but as soon as I realized who it was from, I stopped. It’s something…well, like I said it’s something you need to see.” Rose thrust a datapad into his hands. “In private.” Poe was desperate to see what had Rose so rattled. He spun on his heel, heading to his private quarters. Finn and Rose were right behind him. In the days since General Organa’s death, the three of them had formed a rough version of a triumvirate, with Finn running logistics on base, Poe commanding the military, and Rose in control of everything with circuits. Everyone seemed to accept this form of government without complaint, and Poe knew it was not simply because they were too exhausted to object. The Resistance had been founded on the ideal that everyone’s voice mattered equally and debates were often heated, but Finn, Poe, and Rose together just worked. Their personalities could not have been more different, but they made each other stronger. Poe knew he could never lead the Resistance without both of them at his side.

Poe plopped down on his bed, motioning for Finn and Rose to join him. When everyone was seated, he started the message. Moments later, he almost dropped the datapad as the face of Kylo Ren, the man who had once violated his mind and still featured prominently in his nightmares, started to speak.

_General Dameron—I hope this message reaches you quickly. I will not waste time any explanations, nor with the apologies I desperately owe you. If we do this right, there will be time for that later. You were once my best friend, and if you have any fondness for the boy I once was, I beg you to listen to what I have to say. Rey is in trouble. She has killed Emperor Palpatine and assumed his power, turning to the Dark Side. I know that there is still good in her, but she must be saved. I can’t do it by myself, as much as it pains me—and I have tried. My mother tells me I need you, and Finn, and Rose Tico too. Her friends. The fate of the galaxy is in your hands. With Rey as a Sith, there’s no telling what she will do. I don’t know who is in command of the First Order or how their plans will change now that the Emperor is dead. But I do know that if Rey can be turned back to the Light, she will be the most powerful Jedi that ever lived. She can save you—she can save us all. But we must get her back. I am on my way to Ajan Kloss now. I await your response. I know you don’t trust me, nor do you have any reason to do so. I promise that I am telling the truth. But when this is all over—I am prepared to stand trial for my crimes. Whatever you want with me, you shall have. But Rey must be saved at all costs.”_

The transmission winked out, and the three friends sat in silence for what seemed like an eternity.

“So, that happened,” started Rose.

“He’s telling the truth. About Rey.” Finn added.

“How could you possibly know that?” Poe exclaimed, his mind whirring in a thousand different directions as he attempted to process the thermal detonator that was just dropped on all their laps.

“I can feel it in the Force,” Finn explained, causing Poe to throw his hands up in the air.

“The Force! Of course! The biggest battle of the entire kriffing galaxy is scheduled to start in a few hours, but you and _Kylo Ren_ have some _bad feelings_ in the Force, and I’m just supposed to drop everything and—”

“Enough, you two! Seriously. It’s Rey. Nothing else matters. We would all be piles of ash on Crait if she hadn’t come to save us. Each and every person on this base owes their life to her. And even if we didn’t, she’s my best friend. I’m not going to lose her, to the Dark Side or anything that tries to come between us. If you two need to form a committee or something and chat about this you can, but when Kylo Ren lands, I’m going with him.” Both men gaped at her.

“You’d fly offworld with a murderer? Rose, he killed Han Solo and practically everyone we know.” Poe said.

“And how many people have you shot down in that X-wing of yours, huh? Just because we’re the good guys doesn’t mean we don’t do bad things. We’re all fighting for what we believe in. And right now, he and I believe in the same thing—saving Rey. So I’m going to comm him right now and tell him to come pick me up, and you both can either come with us, or figure out what you’re going to tell Rey was more important than protecting what we love, aka The Whole Reason We’re Still Fighting This Damn War Anyway.” The petite engineer stomped back towards the command center, leaving the rest of the Resistance’s ruling body slack-jawed on Poe's bed. Finn recovered his voice first.

“Considering that she knocked me out cold the first time she met me, I should really stop forgetting she’s the fiercest person I know.” Poe nodded.

“Come on. Let’s figure out who we’re going to leave in charge here while we go find Rey.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so super nervous about this but I am incredibly grateful to learn what's working and what's not--so please keep commenting!! (Also I am leaving a lot more comments in my reading life--I didn't realize how much they brighten an author's LIFE.) I will have the next chapter up next Tuesday. Thanks again for reading! You can find me on twitter @mrs_wedge. I'd love to chat with you!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben has some work to do convincing the Resistance that he comes in peace. And Poe gets a pep talk from an unlikely ally.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're almost there! Thank you SO MUCH for reading and commenting--your comments make my day for real. I'm so grateful for you! Enjoy the homage to Violetwilson's "Dark Crown" in this chapter. I LOVE that story!!! Go check it out if you haven't yet.

Ben is dozing in the cockpit of the TIE when he’s snapped awake by the bond. Rey is seated on the Sith throne, surrounded by hooded acolytes. She is wearing a simple black tunic, but on her head rests an obsidian crown. Ben knows he may already be too late. Still, when his eyes meet hers, his heart still jumps at her beauty. If possible, the Dark side has made her more physically perfect—smoothed out her skin, made her hair thicker and glossier, sharpened her cheekbones. But it has also stolen her humanity, her sweet imperfections. Kylo wastes a precious moment mourning her freckles. 

“Kylo. Where are you?” Rey asks, but there’s hardly a question in her voice. Ben weighs what to say. He doesn’t even want to think too hard about where he’s headed because he knows she will hear it through the bond. Of course, she could just pull it from his mind, violate him the way that he violated her. Hopefully she won’t; every time Snoke had done it to him he’d thrown up afterward. _And yet you still did it to her, and to Poe Dameron. Why should they forgive you, again? How can you ever atone to the galaxy for what you’ve done?_

“Enough wallowing, Kylo Ren. Your regret is smothering me. This is war, you know. Everyone does bad things.” Rey intoned, and Ben couldn’t tell if it was an attempt at comfort or an admonishment.

“Yes, but that doesn’t mean I’m proud of them. Or that I don’t wish I hadn’t done them.” _Keep it simple. Be honest. Just keep her talking until you can get to her._ This is his only plan. Rey sneers at him.

“You’re wishing and thinking and feeling…the Light Side is all talking and no acting. If the Light is right, why is it constantly fighting to prove itself? It doesn’t make sense.” _No, it doesn’t._ To Ben, it never did. He knew asking Uncle Luke about his concerns would only bring trouble, but he’d never understood the Jedi obsession with light and dark. Real life seldom felt so neatly divided.

“Let me come to you, Rey. We can talk about anything you want.” He pleaded, soft and low. Afer a moment, she nodded once.

“Your Knights of Ren have been keeping me company here but I grow tired of their petty posturing. They all want to be my favorite, so I don’t trust them. They’re just like everyone else, they only want me for how they can use me.” For a single beat, her real green eyes flickered in her red ones. He caught a glimpse of the weary woman Rey had become, the one constantly putting the needs of others first. It was little wonder she’d been taken so easily by the Dark Side--Sith cared about no one but themselves. For Rey, that would have been a blessed unburdening.

“I’ll be there soon, Rey. Be safe.” He pleaded. In an instant, the real Rey was gone and the Sith mask was firmly in place again.

“Safe? I’m the most powerful Sith in the galaxy. Everyone else needs to stay safe from _me._ ” She hissed at him, then she was gone.

_Mom, this plan had better work. Or we’re all in deep bantha shit.._

**

When Ben steps out of his TIE on Ajan Kloss at the landing coordinates Rose Tico sent, he’s only about 50% sure they’re not going to shoot him on sight. They’d be right to do it, he knows. As far as most of them know, he is still the enemy, in fact _the_ enemy. This plan is half-baked at best, but as far as he can see there’s no alternative. Besides, wars were always being won by a couple of dreamers with horribly-thought-through plans, right? His parents had won at least one war on that strategy.

He’s expecting Rose to meet him, but the first person to step out of the shadows of the jungle is FN-2187, his former subordinate. Perhaps he asked to be the one to strike Ben down, as vengeance for what Kylo Ren made him endure. Ben is not that much older than the ex-stormtrooper, so at least he’s not personally responsible for the other man’s kidnapping, but Ben could have stopped the program. He could have done so many things. He is suddenly achingly tired of war, of Empires, of every stupid thing that men do that sows division between himself and others. He wants to lie down and sleep for a year—sleep until there’s peace or everyone kills each other, he almost doesn’t care which—but Rey needs him. Not him, them.

“FN-2187.” Ben says. The other man shakes his head.

“It’s Finn now, Supreme Leader,” Finn replies, staring Ben down. Ben clears his throat, fearing he’s already bungled this.

“Sorry, Finn. And it’s Ben now, for me. Just Ben.” Slowly, Finn nods.

“I guess we both left the First Order behind then, huh. Not easy to do, I know from experience. And you didn’t even have a pilot to bail you out.” A lump forms in Ben’s throat as he knows, instantly, that Finn has forgiven him. If Finn is coming, the others will follow. The tiny flame of hope he’s been carrying since Kef Bir flares brighter.

“Yes. Yes. Finn, I owe you—” the shorter man cuts him off.

“I know. We’ll talk about it later. Right now, we have to get Rey, that’s all that matters. Come on, I’ll take you to meet the others.” Finn’s certainty that Rey is worth forsaking all else for glows around him like an aura. Ben is dazzled by the purity of Finn’s love. His own feelings for Rey are complicated and twisted, but Finn’s are simple and clear. _Rey deserves that. When we get her back, if it’s Finn she wants, I’ll let her go. It might kill me, but she should be happy._

Ben’s maudlin train of thought is derailed when he realizes _why_ he’s reading Finn’s love so clearly. Normally Ben can pick up on other people’s feelings a little, like a commlink he can vaguely make out in another room, but Finn’s thoughts are clear as day. Ben inhales sharply.

“You’re Force-sensitive?” Finn spins around to face him and nods.

“I just found out. Look, don’t mention it around Poe, okay? He’s being weird about it.” At the mention of the General, Finn’s aura convulses a little. Something’s going on there too, something Ben is too exhausted to try and decipher. But maybe all is not lost yet on the Rey front.

“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t blast your brains out right now.”Suddenly Poe is behind him, blaster barrel lodged at the base of his skull. Finn yanks his own blaster out, clearly not in on this plan.

“Rey turning blows all your battle plans to hell. Nobody knows what’s she capable of or who’s she’s even fighting for at this point. You can’t lead your people until you know what she’s planning. I’m the one who can get you into Exegol so you can find out.” _Please, please don’t let it all end here, my body rotting in a fetid jungle while Rey needs me._

He feels the blaster being yanked away and hears a slap, then Dameron’s indignant curse.

“Poe! We talked about this! No spy holo tricks! We have to trust him so knock it off, or I’ll stun you like General Organa did after the battle of D’Qar. Sorry, Ben. He’s a little high strung. But you knew that, I guess, because you guys were friends as kids? Why did I not know that? And what was baby Poe like anyway? I’m dying to hear any embarrassing stories you have. Ugh, right, focus. Still not good at doing talking. I’m Rose, by the way.” The short, black haired woman walks in front of him, talking a mile a minute. Ben smiles, very much in spite of himself.

“I’ll tell you anything you want on our way to Exegol. How are we getting there? This TIE won’t fit all of us, besides it’s about ten seconds from collapsing into a pile of scrap metal.” Rose snorts.

“Welcome to the Resistance—all of our ships are seconds away from collapsing into a pile of scrap metal. But we’ve got something that will work for the four of us. As long as all four of us are coming? Poe?” Three pairs of eyes turn to the general, who for once is out of snappy comebacks.

**

Poe had never felt so torn in his life. The old Poe, pre-D’Qar Poe, would have hopped into the gunship and sailed off the save the day without a second thought. But as General, he had to have second thoughts…and third and fourth and fifth ones. He knew that somebody had to be thinking about the bigger picture.

“I need a minute, okay? I need to go…talk to someone.” Poe ignored the shouts that followed him as he sprinted from the jungle. There was only one person who he trusted to ask this question.

“Hey there, what have we here?” Poe found Lando Calrissian in the mess, holding court as he regaled some of the newer recruits with stories of some legendary battle.

“A moment, General Calrissian?” Lando scoffed as he stood.

“Kid, how many times do I have to tell you it’s just Lando? You’re the only General around here now. See you all later,” he called over his shoulder as he followed Poe down a corridor. Poe had to consciously slow his steps so that he didn’t leave the older man behind. He wasn’t tempted to ascribe Lando’s speed to age though—he had a feeling the man had always sauntered as if he hadn’t a care in the galaxy.

When they were seated in a briefing room with the door firmly closed, Poe explained the situation to the older man.

“I can’t believe Ben came back. I always hoped, but I didn’t really believe it, after Han. Figures it would be for love.” Lando mused, looking as serious as Poe had ever seen him. Too late Poe realized how insensitive it had been of him to come crying to Lando about his relationship woes, forgetting that the news of his godson’s return would be of much more import to him. _It’s not my fault that the entire Resistance is related! Hundreds of people, and we’re all somehow tied to the kriffing Skywalker clan._

“So now everyone’s telling me that I need to go on the mission to get Rey, and obviously I can’t do that. I mean, I’m the commander of the entire Resistance movement! I can’t just run off to save someone even if I really want to, right? Why is everyone acting like it’s a weird idea that I should stay here? Somebody has to run things…I just don’t know what to do.” Lando scrutinized Poe as he considered this information. Poe had the feeling that the older man was reading the secrets of his very soul like they were written out for him in lights.

“Seems like you do know what to do, you just don’t wanna do it. You said yourself you have to stay, so why don’t you?” Poe sighed. He’d not breathed a word of this to a soul, but it was time. Besides, they were all probably going to die soon anyway, right?

“Does this have something to do with a certain good-looking ex-Stormtrooper?” Lando said, smiling but not unkindly. Poe hung his head.

“I can’t let him go without me. When we split up…bad stuff happens. And if this is the end—I want, I mean, I need him by my side.” Poe admitted. There. He’d said it. He braced himself for Lando’s reaction.

“And you’re willing to abandon every single responsibility you have here to be with him?” Lando asked. Poe nodded, miserably. Lando clapped him on the shoulder.

“Well then get out of here, kid.” Poe’s head snapped up, shocked.

“What, you thought I was going to lecture you about duty and honor and blah blah blah? Life’s too short, flyboy. When you get to be as old as I am, the only real regrets you have are the loved ones you didn’t hold close enough. So go on. Chewie, Maz and I can hold down the fort around here til you get back.” At Poe’s expression, Lando laughed.

“ You think you’re the only one around here who knows how to order people around? I was a general before you were out of diapers! Besides, nobody’s moving until you figure out what Rey’s gotten herself into anyway. So go bring her back. And good luck.” Poe grinned.

“When we’re together, we don’t need luck.”

**

The official story was that Rey had been captured by Kylo Ren and was being held hostage on Exegol as part of the Emperor’s plot. Finn, Rose, and Poe were the strike team going to extract her before the final battle began. Everyone felt they were in very capable hands with General Calrissian, Chewie, and Maz in the lead, and spirits were high once more as the three Resistance heroes boarded the fastest ship left in the Resistance, a Corellian gunship. Nobody saw a tall, dark haired man sneak up the gangplank as the beloved leaders said their goodbyes, or if they did, they thought the light was playing tricks with their eyes.

Soon the ship was sailing through hyperspace, and Finn, Rose, Poe, and Ben were alone, uneasily staring at each other. Ben knew they should be planning, or at least talking, but he’d be kriffed if he could think of something to say. Pleasant chit chat wasn’t part of either Kylo Ren or Ben Solo’s vocabulary. Finn was the first to break the silence.

“Hey, uh, Ben, do you think you could train me a little? I mean, is there anything I should know about the Force that could help me help Rey?” Ben looked into the achingly earnest face of this man, his former employee and potential rival in love, and was hit with a powerful wave of gratitude. Finn had not only forgiven him, he _trusted_ him. Finn, along with Rey, believed that Ben was capable of good. Knowing he had someone else truly on his side made his throat tight. They were going to do this. Somehow, some way, the four of them were going to bring Rey back and save the galaxy.

“Yeah, of course. Let’s start with some meditation techniques…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So it turns out there's a lot more Stormpilot in here than I planned...I guess my heart couldn't really write a fix-it without a HEA for those two goofballs. Hope it doesn't turn anybody off! Just skip the parts you don't like <3 
> 
> THANK YOU for reading and leaving comments! They help me improve!!!


	4. 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the end is here! thanks for sticking with me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> huge thanks to my excellent beta, @emkayadd. She is fabulous and any mistakes you find are totally mine :)

The only good thing about landing on a cursed Sith planet, Ben mused, was that instead of worrying about whether or not they were walking into a trap, they  _ knew  _ they were walking into a trap. At the very least, the Knights of Ren were going to be out for blood as soon as they realized that their former leader had not come to re-join them, but to liberate their new leader instead.

Rey knew that Ben was coming, but she had no idea that her Resistance pals were on Exegol too, and once she figured that out, it would be obvious that Ben had been less than honest about his intentions for coming to her. He hoped that his abilities, combined with the rudimentary skills he’d taught Finn on their way, would be enough to shield the younger man’s Force signature from Rey. He hoped they could fight their way into her throne room before they were all killed. He hoped a lot of things, it seemed.

“Ready?” Poe asked, shaking Ben out of his reverie. The plan was for Ben to go first and determine just how many obstacles stood between them and Rey, then signal the others to come out shooting. It wasn’t much of a plan, but it was going to have to be enough.

He didn’t get halfway down the gangplank before he was stopped.

“Empress Rey has asked that you be taken straight to her.” Vicrul, one of his favorite knights, seemed almost apologetic as he held out the metal binders, preparing to chain Ben’s wrists.  _ Well, now is as good a time as any for this to all go to Hell.  _ He yelled for the others, who came running down the gangplank behind him, guns blazing.

His world narrowed down to himself and his opponent. If he had a lightsaber, this fight would have been easy. He could have taken all of them down himself, probably. Since his lightsaber was currently rusting on the ocean floor of Kef Bir, he was forced to fight only with a staff salvaged from their ship and a blaster. Wielding a different weapon in each hand taxed his mind to the point that everything else fell away, and the only thing in his head was  _ strike, block, blast, duck, charge, repeat.  _ In his quest for the Sith artifact that led him here the first time, he had been a butcher, an emotionless killing machine...he would have to be one again to save Rey.  _ It doesn’t feel different, killing for others versus killing for myself. It’s all just death, senseless death.  _

Even so, Ben knew the instant the last Knight fell. Apparently, he had been subconsciously running a tally in his mind, keeping track of their life forces as they went dark the way he’d seen his mother do countless times with ships on a holopad during battle. Somehow, the four of them had taken out all the Knights—either the element of surprise was truly with them or the Knights hadn’t put up much of a fight. As he panted and tried to regain his breath, he heard Finn cry out. Rose was crumpled on the floor under the knight Cardo, unconscious and bleeding. Finn held the girl’s hand, muttering reassuring things while Poe and Ben shoved the dead knight off of her. She’d taken an axe to the shoulder before she’d killed the man, and his fall must have cracked several of her ribs.

“Can you heal it?” Finn whispered as Poe ripped his scarf into strips to make a bandage. Ben shook his head.

“But Rey did this thing with the sand snake on Pasaana! It’s a Jedi thing!” Finn protested. Ben growled in frustration.

“Healing isn’t easy to do. It has to be taught, usually. And I’ve never learned to do it.” Tears collected in Finn’s eyes as he watched Poe attempt to revive the girl with a shot of something he had in his medpak. In some distant part of his brain, Ben acknowledged that Poe had indeed grown into the general everyone had hoped he would.

Rose’s eyes snapped open and she jerked awake. She swallowed giant gasps of air that must have been agony on her ribcage while the three men knelt over her, momentarily dumbstruck.

“Did we get them all?” She rasped. Ben nodded.

“Good. Go get Rey.” She slumped back down and closed her eyes. Finn was frantic.

“No! Rose! We’re not going without you!” He begged. She sighed.

“I’m fine, Well, not fine but I will live. You can grab me on the way out. Besides, if you don’t get Rey we’re all dead anyway, right? So just leave me here and do what we came here to do.”

Finn leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips. “Protect what we love, right?” Rose smiled.

“You finally get it, dummy. Now go.” Poe handed her another blaster, Finn kissed her one more time, and Ben leaned down to awkwardly pat her shoulder. Rose’s arm shot out and she dragged his ear down to her lips.

“Don’t kriff it up, Solo. Those three are all I have left in the entire galaxy.” Ben looked into her brown eyes, full of pain but also determination and fire.

“I promise.” He walked away to join the other two. As they rode the giant stone elevator thing (what the kriff  _ was  _ this place anyway?) Ben did not afford himself the luxury of mourning his slain former friends—they knew what they signed up for as Knights, and to die in battle was the best outcome they could have hoped for.  _ When all this is over, I will mourn every last one of them. The whole galaxy will have time to mourn what we’ve lost. But only if we get this right.  _ Still, he spared one last glance over his shoulder as they descended towards the throne room, hoping in vain that their bodies would disappear into the Force.

As the stone lowered them down towards the throne room, the chanting of the Sith acolytes grew louder.

“What is that?” Finn squeaked.

“Sith acolytes.” Ben replied.

“Are they human?” Poe asked.

“I don’t know.” Ben answered honestly.

“So what, do they just sit down here for thirty years, chanting, on the off chance that the lost Sith Princess shows up? Seems pretty stupid if you ask me.” Poe retorted.

“You know, a lot of this doesn’t make sense,” Finn added. Ben sighed.

“I know, I know. I wish I had a better explanation for you. But I don’t.”

“I have never been happier not to be Force sensitive. You guys get down to some really weird stuff. Remind me why we let you run the galaxy, again?” Poe asked, his sparkling banter vainly trying to cover his growing fear.

“Doesn’t make sense to me either, but nobody ever asked me. Come on you two, we’re here.” Ben said.

**

As soon as Kylo Ren landed on Exegol, Rey felt his presence. The intimate knowledge of his feelings, which had been plaguing her since he kidnapped her on Takodana, now made sense.  _ A dyad in the Force, my grandchild. Rare and precious. Turn him back, and you will be more powerful together than even I was. _

Rey’s blood thrilled at the knowledge. Kylo Ren was  _ hers,  _ just as she was his. They were a part of each other—were connected in the Force. All of her life she had searched for belonging, and now here it was, powerful, almost sacred.

He would turn back to the dark side, she knew. He had been controlled by her grandfather via Snoke his entire life. Kylo Ren was not a man accustomed to being free. When Rey offered him the sweet yoke of her dominion, he would take it gratefully.

What might they do, as Emperor and Empress? No government could stop them, no military or rebellion. They would have absolute power to do anything they chose. They could start their own government. Perhaps they could finally bring order and peace to the galaxy and put a stop to the endless bloodshed and waste. How long had little pockets of people poked the holes of empires’ armor until they found a weak spot? How many generations knew nothing but war after war after war? Rey would end it. She would make sure that no child grew up like she did, alone and hungry. Under her and Kylo’s regime, everyone would be taken care of. Kylo would see the reason in that, she was sure of it.

Like a spider in her web, she sat and felt the vibrations in the force of Kylo’s battle with his knights. She was surprised that he killed them all—surprised and a little pleased. The ruthless rage that had ruled him for so long must not have been as far gone from him as he had professed. She was repulsed by his sniveling Ben Solo routine, and she did not relish the idea of working too hard to get him to return to his true self. His efficient slaughter of his former friends made her feel that it would not be as difficult as she had feared.

He stood at the doorway of the throne room, but he did not cross the threshold. Dimly she perceived some movement in the shadows of the massive room—perhaps some skittermice or other rodents. Why did he hesitate? Was he afraid of her? Foolish. She would not harm him. It would be like harming her own self.

“Come closer, Kylo Ren. We have much to discuss.” She intoned, her voice effortlessly carrying across the chamber. He shuffled a few steps, just barely into the pool of light that illuminated the arena floor.

“It’s Ben, Rey. Not Kylo.” He replied, his voice floating right back to her. She scoffed.

“I am not interested in Ben. You didn’t need to come all this way if you’re going to be like that. It’s Kylo I need.”

“Whatever you need, Rey, that’s what I’m here for—” she cut him off.

“Call me Empress.” She demanded. He knelt immediately and bowed his head.

“Forgive me. Empress.” He remained on his knee, submissive and waiting. Good.

“You may stand. Now, Kylo…”

“Sith powers mess with your hearing, Rey? He said his name is Ben.” Poe Dameron, Leia’s second in command, was a few meters behind her, blaster aimed. Rey was annoyed she did not realize the presence she felt was human. Now she would have to deal with him before getting what she wanted with Kylo, which would waste time she didn’t have. Idly, she disarmed him with a flick of her hand and then dragged him around to hover in front of him. 

“Always ready with a witty joke, aren’t you, Dameron? Flashing cocky grins and stoking the fires of the rebellion. But for every person you recruit, you’re adding to the blood on your hands...either their own or those they kill. Do you ever think of that, holo boy? Or are you too busy thinking about…” Rey cocked her head to the side, tuning into the feelings surrounding the pilot. She would not probe his mind directly, she had not forgotten how much of a violation that way, but she didn’t have to try very hard to hear what Poe was silently screaming. 

“Finn? You’re in love with Finn? And you haven’t told him?” For a moment, it seemed this revelation was seismic enough to shake the hold the dark side had on her. She sat on the throne dumbfounded, the Sith swagger drained out of her. Ben felt it, and he wanted to sprint towards her and squeeze her in his arms, as if he could physically cling to her humanity. Maybe he would have, if Finn had not chosen that exact moment to reveal himself. If he had any reaction to Poe’s declaration, he didn’t show it. Instead, he walked out of the shadows, blaster drawn. He moved towards Rey as if drawn by a magnet, eyes only for her. 

“Rey. This isn’t you. Come home with us.” At the sight of Finn, Rey’s posture straightened and her mental armor snapped back into place. Poe coming here to ‘rescue’ her made sense, but Finn? Her first friend? He would betray her like this, misunderstand her intentions and fail to trust her to the point where he’d drag her away from the only place she’d ever had power at blasterpoint? She roared her frustration. 

“How do you know this isn’t me? None of you know me, not really. You just want me for what you can use me for. I’m just a blank space where everybody projects what they need. The Sith, the Jedi, the Resistance, they’ve all treated me exactly the same. And I’m tired of it. So bloody tired.” With a wave of her hand, she flung both Finn and Poe from the arena into the hallway beyond. Let them have their lover’s reunion; her battle was (and always was) with Kylo alone. Despite that, a rogue thought flickered through her consciousness:  _ When you asked me, Finn, we should have run. None of this would have happened.  _

Rey sighed.

“Come on then, Jedi, let’s have this out. She chucked a lightsaber in his direction, which he nimbly caught despite his mouth hanging open. She almost laughed at his expression. 

“There are countless lightsabers here in the treasury. And I think we ought to have a fair fight, don’t you?” She rose from the throne, ignited her blade, and charged.

**

Ben was loath to admit it, but, dueling with Rey was the best he had felt in days. They had been adversaries for so long that her stance, her attack patterns, had become familiar to him. It was almost like a dance, and each knew their steps well enough to lose themselves in the music. 

As she swung her saber in what would have been a decapitating move had he not ducked, Rey grunted out, “how long are we going to do this? We’ve been fighting each other for years now and neither one of us ever wins or dies. Will we be locked forever in an endless war, just like the whole kriffing galaxy?” Ben blocked another killing blow then advanced on her with short jabs meant to disarm but not wound. 

“One of us did die, Rey. I did. Or I would have, if you hadn’t healed me. Then, you said you wanted to take my hand. I’m here now, so will you take it?” He tried to keep his voice soft, his eyes pleading and kind. He could not give in to the dark side here, or the thrill of the fight. 

“It’s a little late for that now! Now I am all the Sith. How about you give in and join me instead and we rule together? We can stop all of this.” Her saber crashed down on his, blades locking in a mirror of how they’d stood on Starkiller so long ago. This time, she had the upper hand. 

For the shortest moment, he considered it. Hadn’t this been what he offered her in Snoke’s throne room? Let the past die and make the world anew? 

Then he had believed with all of his black heart that it was the only way. Now, he knew better. Governments ruled by tyrants never lasted. One person (or even two) could not adequately understand the struggles of the multitudes. The New Republic senate had been a mess, but at least it had been trying. Ben didn’t know what would come next, but it could not be this. 

“No, Rey. We won’t stop it. We can’t. Not alone. The Jedi--” Rey spun away with a scream, thrashing her saber with abandon. 

“Enough about the Jedi! I have had it with the Jedi, and legacies, and bloodlines, and Skywalkers....I am done with it all. I just want peace. Please, Ben, I just want peace.” It was the use of his name, his  _ real  _ name, that stopped his breath and made him nearly drop the borrowed saber in shock. In that moment, he knew Rey was not gone, not all the way. And he knew what it was going to take to bring her back. Carefully, he knelt on the floor, arms open. Rey halted her attack, eyes wide and panting hard. 

“Then do it. End the Jedi. Kill the last living Skywalker and start over again. You can do it. I won’t blame you.I’m glad it’s you.” They stared at each other, Force connection crackling like a live wire in the air. Everything else fell away. Ben felt a curious lightness in his soul, the feeling that he had, for once in his miserable life, done exactly the right thing. Every choice he’d ever made had brought him here, on his knees in front of the love of his life. Whether she killed him or not, he had done right. The galaxy was in her hands now...it only remained to see what she’d do with it. Ben closed his eyes, a smile on his face. 

“Rey!” Somehow during the battle, Rose had made her way down to the arena floor, leaning heavily on a discarded Knight of Ren weapon as a crutch. Her shoulder was still bleeding heavily but her voice was strong. 

“Rose? What are you doing here?” Rey asked, Ben momentarily forgotten. 

“I came here to help my friend. Look, I don’t understand all the Force power stuff. That’s not my job. I’m just a mechanic. Nobody special. But you never cared about that--you were always kind to me. You were the only person who asked me about Paige, and listened to my stupid stories about her. What I’m trying to say is, you’re a good person, Rey. You don’t deserve the weight of the entire galaxy on your shoulders.” Rey clicked off her lightsaber, sneering. 

“I’m not  _ good _ , Rose. Haven’t you heard? I’m a  _ Palpatine. _ I exist because the Emperor wanted to live forever. I’m just a pawn in his game. Just like Ben. Just like you.” Rose shook her head forcefully. 

“No. No. You’re not him. You may have his blood, but that’s all he gave you. He’s not responsible for your compassion, or your strength, or your sense of humor...you’re better than him, Rey. You’re better than all of this. You’re my friend and I love you. You get to pick who you are, Rey. Nothing else matters.” Rey opened her mouth to respond when an ethereal figure shimmered into existence. 

“She’s right, Rey.” Rey dropped her saber and ran to her Master.

“Leia?” The older woman smiled and held out her arms and Rey ran into them. Ben had no idea how his mother was holding her now, and he didn’t care. 

“I’m sorry, Leia. I failed you.” 

“We all fail sometimes. It doesn’t have to define you.” A short, fierce looking Togruta that Ben guessed had to be Ashoka Tano replied as she appeared next to his mother. 

“Fail, we all did. The prophecy, we misunderstood. One Jedi and one Sith does not balance make. We were wrong.” Ben had heard enough stories from his uncle to know Master Yoda by voice alone. Other figures, some clearer than others, began to appear until the room was nearly crowded with them. Ben gazed at the glowing assembly, marveling at the wisdom and folly represented by the millenia’s worth of Force-users. 

“My brother was right, Rey. The Force does not belong to the Jedi. It doesn’t belong to anyone. And any time some group tried to claim dominion over the Force, it never worked. Balance is not good versus evil. Balance is peace--all people knowing nobody is truly good or truly bad. We’re all just people.” Rey leaned back from his mother’s embrace to look at her face. 

“How do you know?” She asked, sniffling. Leia’s face broke into a grin, luminous as a sun. 

“Dear child, because of you! Both of you.” Leia extended his hand to Ben, who scrambled over to take it. 

“You two are a dyad in the Force. One light, one dark, together a whole. You’ve bridged the gap between sides and proved there is no such thing as sides. The Force...just is. And we are all a part of it.” 

Leia joined Rey and Ben’s hands, then touched both of their cheeks. 

“I love you both so much. Take care of each other.” Ben tore his eyes from his mother to look at Rey, who was gazing back at him. Her eyes held so many things, pain and sadness and hope and...love? 

This time, Ben knew he could not make the first move. He had offered himself to her so many times, now it was up to her to choose. He smiled at her, tears running down his face. Rey dropped his hands, then threw her arms around his neck and pulled him down to her for a kiss. 

Rey’s lips were worth waiting a lifetime for, he thought. They slid against his like they were made to do so. Her hands were gentle as they twined through his hair, and her strong, soft body melded to his like two puzzle pieces sliding into place. He could feel through their bond the Sith power dissipate and her own life force return. The Force flowed from her to him and back again in an endless loop, making them both giddy with joy. Often, the Force whispered, but right now it was singing. Completion, perfect peace and satisfaction buzzed in their veins, magnified by the other’s experience. Every thought, every fear, every hope in Ben’s head could not hold up under the power of this kiss. This was a kiss that could make a galaxy anew. 

Ben Solo had never kissed a girl before, so he had nothing to compare this kiss to. Even so, he was fairly certain that most kisses do not immediately cause the participants to be enveloped in a cloud of blinding light. They do not make the dark arena around the couple crumble to dust, they do not make the Sith acolytes vanish without a trace. Ben would wager that kisses do not usually send out sonic blasts that deactivate the power drives of an entire fleet of star destroyers, nor do they usually heal wounded friends standing nearby. Ben found out later that all of these things had happened when Rey’s lips met his, but in the moment, he did not know any of it. 

When she pulled away for some air, after a moment or a lifetime, her eyes were their own gorgeous hazel again.

“I love you, Rey. I should have told you so long ago.” She smiled, the sweetness of the gesture making his knees weak. 

“I know.” She winked at him, and he laughed, feeling weightless. 

Rose’s sobs reminded them that there were other people in the galaxy, and they tore their eyes from each other to look around. His mother and all the ghosts had vanished, along with the Sith and the arena. Ben and Rey stood in a field under a cloudless sky--a vision of what Exegol had been eons ago before it had been infected by evil. Rose stood just behind them, and Poe and Finn were a little further back. The two men ran towards them, hands clutched tightly together. 

“What happened? Is everyone okay? Rose, why are you crying?” Finn asked. Rose shrugged, wiping her nose on her sleeve. 

“Oh, I always cry at weddings.” She hiccuped. Finn looked from Rey to Ben, back to Rey, then to Ben again. 

“So you guys are…?” Rey laughed. 

“Yes. And you two are…” She glanced meaningfully at Poe and Finn’s clasped hands. 

“Yeah.” Poe gushed. He extended his hand to Rose with a raised eyebrow. Rose rolled her eyes as she chuckled. 

“Oh, no. No thanks, you two. There’s already enough gorgeousness in your relationship. I’m good.” The five of them stood in an uneasy silence. Rey cleared her throat. 

“Thank you, all of you, for coming. I’m so sorry that I...I thought I could save us all. But I wasn’t strong enough.” Finn scoffed. 

“‘Course not. None of us is strong enough on our own. That’s why we’ve got each other!”He said. Beside him, Poe nodded. 

“My man speaks the truth. Come on, bring it in.” Poe reached his arms out and yanked all of them into a group hug. Ben was surprised to find he did not mind it overly much. 

After a moment, the hug broke up and Rose, ever the organizer asked, “So...what do we do now? There’s the fleet, the Resistance...who’s in charge?” Rey shook her head sheepishly. 

“Me, I guess? Maybe? I don’t know?” She replied. Ben tucked Rey under one arm and grabbed Poe with the other, pulling his old friend close. 

“I have no idea either. But, I think we get to remake the world.” Ben said. Poe nodded. 

“Together.” He agreed.

“Yeah. Together.” Said Finn. Arms around each other, they looked out at Exegol’s three setting suns, which cast the field where they were standing in a dreamy twilight haze. 

“It’s our story now,” decreed Rose. Everyone nodded and watched the suns disappear below the horizon. There would be time enough for plans tomorrow. 

END   
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I did it! I finished my Very First Fanfic. Thanks to those who read and commented. I love hearing what you thought worked and didn't work--it helps me get better! You can also find me on twitter @mrs-wedge. Stay safe out there, friends.

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't written more but I have it mapped out, I will update it by next Tuesday at least. Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment, even if it's criticism--comments will help me get better.


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